Comcast installation fee question UPDATE: reduced!

[lebe0024]

I just signed up for comcast's $20 / 6 month deal. I have cable running from my alley and into my house. However, the comcast phone guy said they would be charging me $50 for the guy to come out and install the cable. ? If all this means is he "flips a switch / screws a cable into the box", that's a rip off. I've had comcast before and I didn't have to pay for this. It kind of nullifies the whole deal in the first place.

Any suggestions on how I can get out of paying this?


UPDATE:
Appearently, if you dont want to pay the 49/99 fee for "premium" installation, you can opt for basic installation (if you need them to come out to your house to plug the cable into the box in the alley/street) for only $25. That's a better deal.

 

[Pepsi90919]

revenue.

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
revenue.

winnar!

 

[isekii]

Cancel, and call

1800 OK Cable

installation is free
and you get a bunch of perks.

Comcast will come out as well if that's your local provider

 

[lebe0024]

What is 1800OKCABLE? I live in MN, isn't okay cable a joined cable service for NY, NJ,?

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: lebe0024
What is 1800OKCABLE? I live in MN, isn't okay cable a joined cable service for NY, NJ,?

Thats what I gathered from their website...

 

[royaldank]

You're paying for the lady to answer the phone and schedule the appointment, the guy to come out, the truck and gas for mileage, and the service of flipping the switch.

Sure, it's a ripoff, but isn't Comcast always running some free installation deal if you go digital or something like that?

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: royaldank
You're paying for the lady to answer the phone and schedule the appointment, the guy to come out, the truck and gas for mileage, and the service of flipping the switch.

Sure, it's a ripoff, but isn't Comcast always running some free installation deal if you go digital or something like that?

I'm just not sure about comcast. I'm moving in a few weeks and I currently have DirecTV. We are looking at possibly switching over because we'd save about 40$ a month between the modem and just overall price..but is comcast DVR and HDTV any good? Does the DVR allow you to record two programs at once? Or atleast watch 1 channel but record another? Also do all their set tops support HDTV? I need HDTV in two different rooms, but I'm assuming they are going to charge me some extra fee for two HDTV set tops. I've emailed them these questions but haven't heard back yet. I'll call tonight if no one has the answers

 

[SP33Demon]

Profit margins. How do you think your 401K goes up each month, since Comcast is in your mut. fund?

 

[royaldank]

I think their DVR is pretty sweet. I also have a Replay in the house. I picked up the HD_DVR box last night. Recording one show while watching others is nice. I can even pause the second show I'm watching.

I only have the single HD TV so I can't comment about billing on additional boxes. In fact, my HD tv is coming tomorrow so I don't have it hooked up. I will say the HD looked great in a few of the stores around here and my buddy's house.

The DVR box I had was a Moterola. Sort of loud, but otherwise good. Much quicker changing channels than my previous Tivo and Replay. Recording in HD is nice, also.

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: royaldank
I think their DVR is pretty sweet. I also have a Replay in the house. I picked up the HD_DVR box last night. Recording one show while watching others is nice. I can even pause the second show I'm watching.

I only have the single HD TV so I can't comment about billing on additional boxes. In fact, my HD tv is coming tomorrow so I don't have it hooked up. I will say the HD looked great in a few of the stores around here and my buddy's house.

The DVR box I had was a Moterola. Sort of loud, but otherwise good. Much quicker changing channels than my previous Tivo and Replay. Recording in HD is nice, also.

Oh i didn't know it recorded HD..that is definitely a plus! I'll just have to ask comcast about the HD box in two rooms. I'm hoping the normal boxes have HD and the DVR has HD..that'd leave me with two HD boxes and 1 DVR as I need. I actually have 3 tv's throughout the house (living room, office, and bedroom) but only the living room and bedroom are HD.

 

[royaldank]

Just FYI: The manual said about 30 hours of regular programming or 7 hours of HD. I didn't play with it much last night so I'm not sure if it has quality settings like the TiVo and Replay currently do. I'm guessing it doesn't but not completely sure myself.

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: royaldank
Just FYI: The manual said about 30 hours of regular programming or 7 hours of HD. I didn't play with it much last night so I'm not sure if it has quality settings like the TiVo and Replay currently do. I'm guessing it doesn't but not completely sure myself.

Well i'm just using a Standard Def DirecTivo right now. My HD reciever is a samsung w/ OTA. I'm still researching it and learning about cable. I hear pro's and con's of each. I just wanted some other first hand knowledge.

 

[MrBond]

Did anyone ever figure out if Comcast was really disabling commercial skip on their DVR's for certain programming, like '24' and 'American Idol'? There's been a couple threads about it here so far, but it seems like someone always posts that they could FF just fine through commercials.

That'd be a big advantage of a third-party DVR for me.

 

[spacelord]

If they're gonna charge you anyways, I'd demand 100 feet of Coax for my personal stash.

 

[acemcmac]

They didn't charge me anything... as with all uilities.... cell phones, cable, credit cards, I call, I ask exactly what I want to know or what I need in the most precise language possible, ask for nothing more, nothing less and get nothing more, nothing less.

I think my procedure was something like this...

went to comcast center, asked for self install kit, gave them my vitals and signed paperwork for 20$ month and 3$ modem rental (it's supplimentary for a bulk account)

got to my apartment, hooked it up, called comcast: "Hi, I need to register my mac adress and serial number with you so that you can activate my service" Them: "ok, go ahead." I read the numbers, they tell me to power cycle, I'm online. Viola.

I seem to remmeber a hitch the most recent time about my not registering a screename with them or something innane, and of course the billing is aways smacktarded, but... it's very straight forward.....

 

[MrBond]

If they're gonna charge you anyways, I'd demand 100 feet of Coax for my personal stash.

I always get extra coax from them, I'll move my TV to the other side of the room, or tell them the TV will be across from the room when I'll probably put it near the jack. I've never had a free install, plus Comcast uses nice RG6, so I like to get my money's worth.

The extra RG6 is very nice to have around

 

[lebe0024]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
They didn't charge me anything... as with all uilities.... cell phones, cable, credit cards, I call, I ask exactly what I want to know or what I need in the most precise language possible, ask for nothing more, nothing less and get nothing more, nothing less.

I think my procedure was something like this...

went to comcast center, asked for self install kit, gave them my vitals and signed paperwork for 20$ month and 3$ modem rental (it's supplimentary for a bulk account)

got to my apartment, hooked it up, called comcast: "Hi, I need to register my mac adress and serial number with you so that you can activate my service" Them: "ok, go ahead." I read the numbers, they tell me to power cycle, I'm online. Viola.

I seem to remmeber a hitch the most recent time about my not registering a screename with them or something innane, and of course the billing is aways smacktarded, but... it's very straight forward.....

I can't do that because the cable guy said that appearently SOMETHING's not hooked up at my house. I imagine it's not hooked up at the alley, because I have cable running all throughout my house and to the alley. It seems like a good deal if he were going to wire up my house, but he's not. All he's going to do is plug the wire in at the alley's box.